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Politics and war, science and sports, memoir and biography - there's a great big world of nonfiction books out there just waiting to be read. We pick the 100 best and most influential written in English since 1923, the beginning of TIME...magazine. Click here to view the All-TIME 100 Best Non-Fiction Books on TIME.com.
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The average Goodreads member has read 5 out of 100 books on this list — how many have you read?
The average Goodreads member has read 5 out of 100 books on this list — how many have you read?
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David
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Aug 30, 2011 12:01PM
this is a ridiculously US-centric list
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David wrote: "this is a ridiculously US-centric list"Time Magazine is a ridiculously US-centric magazine.
David wrote: "this is a ridiculously US-centric list"Then add some non-US works! Vote wisely. :)
Actually, this is meant to be a static list -- not one that can have books added to it. We're working on fixing that now.
Why is the list not changeable if people can still vote? Only one of these would be in my top 100!
Next I'd like to see a list of influential non-fiction books translated into English from other languages. I'd top the list with Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.
I really don't agree with many books on this list. Many are too new to see if the deserve to be in the "Top 100 Best Books."
There are two lists here, neither one adequate: 1) a lot of contemporary OK books with some good stuff, e.g. The Omnivore's Dilemma, and 2) The greatest non-fiction books of all time: e.g., The Origin of Species.
It is a weird list. Fast Food Nation? Francis Fukuyama, who claimed that history had ended and was quickly proven ridiculous when history kept on going?
Thom wrote: "There are two lists here, neither one adequate: 1) a lot of contemporary OK books with some good stuff, e.g. The Omnivore's Dilemma, and 2) The greatest non-fiction books of all time: e.g., The Ori..."Absolutely--can't believe that was left out. What criteria were used? Some of these books are quite thought-provoking or influential, while others are no more than popular. How can a cookbook even be considered in the same field as works like Wilson's "On Human Nature"? Obviously, the idea behind most lists like this is to generate a buzz and they can't be taken very seriously.
A agree with Lobster girl, what a weird list. I guess that's what Time Magazine calls "All Time Best," but I have no desire to read many of those books.
There are a few head-scratchers included here that put the lie to the title's claim to represent both "best" and "non-fiction". Clash of Civilizations, really?
I have read parts of many of these books, for example COMING OF AGE...; however, I am only selecting the ones that I completed.
This list IS weird. Then again, Time magazine is pretty weird. Still, I've only read nine of these - if you include the Joy of Sex, which I'm not sure counts - Oh! the sting of being so close to average. It's almost enough to make me consider reading one of the many (far too many) conservative polical tracts on here... almost.
Jamie wrote: "This list IS weird. Then again, Time magazine is pretty weird. Still, I've only read nine of these - if you include the Joy of Sex, which I'm not sure counts - Oh! the sting of being so close to..."I have learned from My HIndu Shrink that the Kama Sutra was written by an ascetic. Even so, it should perhaps be first among How-To-Do-IT books, agreed ?
Is there some reason I can "compare with friends" but can't actually vote on the list?
Patrick wrote: "Actually, this is meant to be a static list -- not one that can have books added to it. We're working on fixing that now."Oh, I see.
I wouldn't include the Clash of Civilizations in that list either. It generalises entire distinct civilizations just to fit it's conclusions. I am sure the people who would fall under the so called 'Oriental' culture label would agree.
Zachary wrote: "I wouldn't include the Clash of Civilizations in that list either. It generalises entire distinct civilizations just to fit it's conclusions. I am sure the people who would fall under the so call..."Time-honored research method: When your data don't yield your conclusion, change the data.
I've read about 19 of them. There should be ways to vote for Isn't this a reference book? (Our Bodies, Ourselves), Isn't this fiction? (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance), Isn't this about five books long - I have only read three books' worth of it (Rise and Fall of the Third Reich), and No and I don't think I will ever read it (God and Man at Yale).
Diana180 wrote: "I've read about 19 of them. There should be ways to vote for Isn't this a reference book? (Our Bodies, Ourselves), Isn't this fiction? (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance), Isn't this about ..."Zen and the Art of M. M. is standard length. Just one book.
I agree that a lot of what editors are trying to do is create buzz. If they truly find the 100 best books, 98% of America won't have read them. They have to stick Nickel and Dimed on there because a lot of people have actually read it - and part of the fun of the list is checking off the ones one has read. (I'm not saying Nickel and Dimed is a bad book, just that it doesn't belong on a top 100 list.)
I can't believe I've only read 6 of these(I'm average!!). Unless I've read some and forgotten---defintely a possibility, since I am of the opinion these can't be the 100 "Most Interesting" Best Non-Fiction Books. Oh, I'll just admit the truth---I read alot more fiction than non-fiction. How embarrassing!
Jason "Slo" wrote: "Pretty disappointed to not see 
" Ah, Alive, the reason I always pack Oreos in my carry-on.
Ben wrote: "David wrote: "this is a ridiculously US-centric list"Time Magazine is a ridiculously US-centric magazine."
Well it IS an American publication. Why are you so surprised? But there are English titles on the list, such as Virginia Woolf (a Brit!) and Karen Blixen (a Dane!)!
Yes! I have read twelve, so I'm over the average! I'm glad there's still a place where I can get a tiny bit of admiration for reading so much... in most contexts I'm a dinosaur. :)
This is a good, well-rounded list of books. TIME's 100 best Fiction/Novel list is also pretty good.
Silent Spring, Nickel and Dimed, A People's History Of The United States, Obamas "Memoir"? Lots of leftist/socialist claptrap on this list. That's kind of what I expect from Time. Credit them for putting Goldwater and Buckley on the list.
I see Dawkins, but no Darwin. No 'On the Origin of Species'? Yikes. He explained how and why evolution happens. So fundamental to our existence.
David wrote: "this is a ridiculously US-centric list"Completely agree
Not only are many of the best non-fiction books not on this list, but some of those on the list are no where near the best. While our personal view of what constitutes one of the "best" books in any category is clearly subjective, there must be some kind of criteria to be met to actually GET on a list like this. Time magazine must have people smart enough to figure this out, I just wonder why they didn't and what criteria they actually used.
Darwin published just a few years before Time started publication, which is why he's not on.It's a "US-centric" list because Time's a US-centric magazine.
In my opinion, the best nonfiction books would be, other factors taken into account, the best WRITTEN nonfiction books. Not all of these would qualify, certainly.
It's just a list. If you don't like this one, you can find a thousand more to choose from. Lists are everywhere and they sell magazines; and attract readers who enjoy neatly-packaged bundles of easily digestible information.It's not definitive. It's TIME magazine.
John wrote: "It's just a list. If you don't like this one, you can find a thousand more to choose from. Lists are everywhere and they sell magazines; and attract readers who enjoy neatly-packaged bundles of eas..."i agree. its just a list. and its Times
but a interesting list, if not all some are worth reading.
Nafees wrote: "but a interesting list, if not all some are worth reading."Agreed.
James wrote: "I see Dawkins, but no Darwin. No 'On the Origin of Species'? Yikes. He explained how and why evolution happens. So fundamental to our existence."
I was surprised by this as well. I thought I'd missed it at first.
I was surprised by this as well. I thought I'd missed it at first.
Interesting list of books from a magazine
intresting list, is it possible to somehow "save" this list for future reference on what to read?
Not only is Time's "100 Best Books of All Time" list extremely US-centric, but it is heavily weighted toward the recent past. Lists of these type tend to have a recent focus since humans quickly forget anything that doesn't immediately impact their lives. As other people have said, lists are simply created to sell publications. If Time had accurately named the list ("100 Important Books Published in the U.S. in the Last 50 Years"), no one would be arguing about the list's contents -- nor would they have bought the magazine.
Laura wrote: "Not only is Time's "100 Best Books of All Time" list extremely US-centric, but it is heavily weighted toward the recent past. Lists of these type tend to have a recent focus since humans quickly fo..."x2
Absolutely Amazing. This is a socialist book list posing as the "best books of all time"
This list doesn't seem all that weird or bad to me. The entries, particularly in retrospect, seem perhaps more often to fit Time's "most influential" descriptor than its "best." Given that, I found myself nodding most of the way down the list. It is surely not THE best list possible but it is A good list. Of course it's U.S.-centric. It's a U.S. magazine with largely a U.S. audience, and it is explicitly restricted to books written in English. And "The Origin of Species" is not on it because that was written before the cut-off date of 1923. (And I would not use this as a reading list. Some of the titles were important in their day, but have since become dated. In nonfiction, I'd rather read stuff that's more current.)
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This is a static list.
